friday faves [home edition]

these are things in our home i've bought and collected over the past two years that i think were good deals. they are not big ticket items but they certainly added some personality and warmth to our home when we moved almost two years ago.

Yesterday my husband moved several boxes from his garage to a separate storage location and i'm now wondering what were those things left unopened in those boxes we packed from our old home. i'm surely missing a few coffee tablebooks but i think i'll be fine. we always pack so much stuff (junk) in our house but i cant resist these lovelies. they are my new favorites and i'm glad i found them when i did!

i immediately grabbed this damask and trellis tablecloth from homegoods earlier this year. also shown below on the leather wingback chair are a pair of keep calm and carry on pillows found at the same place (they've since been moved upstairs in the guestroom). i love the celadon and sea blue calm cool colors ~ just what the very popular slogan says!

here is a pair of burlap scented sachets i found at an etsy store that i adore. it hangs on the study frenchdoor knobs where it adds a touch of casual femininity on an otherwise formal masculine room. my husband does not know this yet but i may takeover this space pretty soon and it will undergo some major decor renovation!

a bunch of great finds from various places fills this guest room. the kid's pink chair is from ross ($ 40), headboard from jcpenney (twin size for under $ 239 on sale) and beddings from homegoods. i still need to get a sidetable and im debating on a mirrored one or a lucite sidetable. i have not made up my mind about that yet.

these lovely milk vases are from etsy too. they are so delicate and dainty to look at!

lastly, these milk bottles i used as vases were from homegoods yet again ~ scored them for under $ 5 each!

stay tuned for my next post soon ~ i'll share some photos of some things i liked/needed/wanted but was seriously not sure if i should take them home back then.....!

are you ready? [H&M]

i'm still bummed about not having H&M here in houston and whenever before we go out of town, first thing i check is to see if there's H&M in the destination city. particularly on this big day that i'm so sorry for myself (ok, exaggerated a little) but it's the rare steal of a deal on a limited edition collection of lanvin for H&M that i'm dreaming about. it hit stores on november 23.

this is what alber elbaz, artistic director of lanvin, has to say....

“H&M approached us to collaborate, and see if we could translate the dream we created at Lanvin to a wider audience, not just a dress for less. I have said in the past that I would never do a mass-market collection, but what intrigued me was the idea of H&M going luxury rather than Lanvin going public. This has been an exceptional exercise, where two companies at opposite poles can work together because we share the same philosophy of bringing joy and beauty to men and women around the world.” 

   {images from chuvaness and H&M}

oh well. i'll enjoy the pictures for now.

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cookies and milk [first birthday party]

i have the sweetest party to share - a cookies and milk first birthday party for little guy jack. his mom is the beautiful and inspiring kate of cocktails and cupcakes. before we talk about the fun party, do take time to read her blog later as her posts managed to make me cry and laugh out loud from one post to another.

now back to jack's first birthday party which was still back in august but i am not hesistant to share the creative details she and her husband made for the big day. brown and white was the most fitting color scheme for the theme and i'm loving this casual look for the party invitation.

 the birthday banner shown here was made by kate herself by using paper and chipboard letter and brown ribbon to tie them together. it hung above the most awesome portrait of jack that her husband created. love that idea!

milk and adult beverages were served on vintage milk bottles

what a heavenly display of cookies (i spy brownies too?)

seriously? this cake shaped like a cookie is adorable. my son would have loved to bury his head into it. also, do you see the cups behind it? kate made photo tags of baby jack and tied it with baker's twine on each cup for added pizzazz. such a brilliant idea!

party favors were cookie mix in jars and adorned with handmade labels and tags, checked fabric and twine. kate didnt stop there - she (and a friend) made those lovely hanging poms!  (oh did i mention i love her kitchen? im crushing on her kitchen chandelier!)

thanks kate for allowing me to share these photos. for more details (including the downloadable program for the cool wall portrait) on party vendors that she used, read her post here.

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